Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar was lavish in his praise for not just his own IPL 2026-winning trophy, but also for some of the strongest opponents that came their way. He hailed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old MVP for the tournament, for ‘dominating every top bowler’ and Shreyas Iyer, the Punjab Kings captain, for changing the RCB skipper’s ‘mindset’.
Sooryavanshi was the best batter to play in IPL 2026, even at the age of 15. He scored 776 runs for the Rajasthan Royals at a staggering strike rate of 237.30, with five half-centuries and a ton. His exploits included a 26-ball 78 against RCB in the league stage, which helped RR win by six wickets.
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“It’s pretty
clear, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi,” Patidar said when asked about the standout performer of the IPL 2026 season. “He’s so young, and the way he’s dominated this tournament. He just didn’t play; he dominated every top bowler. So the way he played his shots, he’s amazing. Whenever I saw him on TV, it was just superb. I wish him luck.”
RCB and PBKS were in a neck-to-neck battle for the top spot in the first half of the season before Shreyas’ team collapsed in the second half to lose out on a playoff spot. Patidar and Shreyas are now set to be in contention for a middle-order spot that could be available in the Indian T20I 11 in the near future, but both share a mutual admiration for each other.
Earlier in the season, Shreyas called Patidar the ‘most stylish’ player in the league and Patidar complimented him back saying the Mumbaikar was pivotal in his journey.
“I admire him a lot. The way he was dominating in red‑ball cricket, the shots that he was playing. At that point, it was my first season, and after looking at him, I changed my mindset. The way he was playing was unbelievable. Thanks to Shreyas for the words he spoke for me,” he said.
